
Book .V\3a1Z. 



V 



"kI^^I 



Lll 



HISTORICAL DISCOURSE, 



DELIVERED BEFORE THE 



CONNECTICUT HISTOMCAL SOCIETY, 



AND THE 



CITIZENS OF HARTFORD, 



t 

Evening of the ^6tb. day ofDeceniiber, 1843. 

BY THOMAS DAY, 

PRESIDENT OF THE CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND OF WADSWORTH 

ATHEN^UM. 



- ■ ^ »'A 



At a meeting of the Connecticut Historical Society, January 2d, 
1844: 

Voted, That the thanks of this Society be presented to Hon. Thomas Day, 
President of the Society, for his very interesting historical address, delivered 
to the Society, on the 2Gth of December, 1843, upon the occasion of their 
occupying, for the first time, the rooms in Wadsworth Athenjeum, recent- 
ly prepared for their reception ; and that he be requested to furnish a copy of 
the same for the use of the Society. 
A true copy, Attest. — 

CHARLES HOSMER, Recording Secretary. 






PREFATORY NOTE. 



The following remarks were prepared at the request of The 
Connecticut Historical Society, and were originally designed 
as an address to the nmembers of that Institution, on the occasion 
of their taking possession of the rooms in Wadsworth Athente- 
UM destined for their use. About the same time, the Society pro- 
posed to give a series of historical lectures to the citizens of 
Hartford ; and the committee charged with that business applied 
to me to commence the series. It occurred to me, that a subject 
adapted to one occasion would not be inappropriate to the other ; 
and I concluded to make this two-fold application of the subject 
I had in preparation ; and thus the address and the lecture became 
identified. The Society first met, on the evening of the 26th of 
December, 1843, in the south division of the Athenaeum ; and 
thence proceeded, shortly afterwards, to the lecture-room of the 
First Congregational Society, a few rods distant, on the opposite 
side of the street, where the contents of the following pages were 
addressed to a numerous and highly respectable assembly, con- 
sisting of the members of the Connecticut Historical Society, and 
the ladies and gentlemen of Hartford. 

The facts stated in the narrative have been cautiously taken from 
authentic sources, generally based upon evidence such as would be 
admissible and satisfactory in a judicial proceeding. In preparing 



4 PREFATORY NOTE. 

the discourse for publication, I have referred to the authorities, in 
all cases where it was practicable and desirable ; and these cases 
embrace the most important facts ; but in a few instances, where the 
facts were derived from entries in old bibles which were private 
properly, from monumental inscriptions, to which but few persons 
could have access, or from oral communications or personal knowl- 
edge, it seemed hardly practicable, and useless as impracticable, to 
refer to the authorities. When I have had occasion to refer to the 
records of the United Colonics of Neto England, I have referred 
to them as printed in Hazard'' s Historical Collections. 

The names of the several proprietors of the Athenaeum lot, 
when first introduced, are printed in small capitals. 

T. D. 



HISTOEICAL ADDEESS. 



members of the connecticut historical society, 

Ladies and Gentlemen : 

Great and manifold are the nses of history. To say th.at 
it connects the past with the present, is to say the truth ; 
but it is not all the truth. It brings forward the accnnuda- 
ted treasures of the past, and g-ives them present existence. 
It makes the experience and wisdom of by-gone ages our 
own. Of the future we know nothing ; of the present, not 
much more — as the present becomes past before Ave can 
g-arner its fruits. The great store-house of human know- 
ledge, therefore, lies in the dominions of the past. History 
is the conmioa carrier that brings it to us. As well might 
we expect to enjoy the benefits of foreign commerce, with- 
out ships, as to appropriate the acquisitions of past genera- 
tions, Avithout history. 

But it is not my present purpose to dwell upon the bene- 
fits of history generally. This topic, with its wide-spread 
ramifications, so full of dignity and interest, may be illus- 
trated, l)y an abler band, on some other occasion ; and the 
time could rarely happen in connexion with any stated or 
extraordinary meeting of this society, when such a topic 
would be inappropriate. What I Avish particularly to call 
your attention to, noAV, is, the desire so universally preva- 
lent of knoAving more or less of the history of the persons 
and things most intimately connected with ourselves. This 
desire is manifested in early childhood. Give your little 
boy a toy, and, as soon as it is his^ much as he values 
it, he Avill break it, to find out what is in it, and how it Avas 
made ; — in other Avords, to learn its history. This desire 
increases Avith advancing age ; and gradually amplifies its 
scope to take in the multifarious ol)jects that are continually 
springing up before it. This desire is a laudable one. It 
1 



6 WADS WORTH ATHENiEUM. 

is dignified in its nature ; and not only innocent, but posi- 
tively beneficent, in its tendency and results. It emanated 
from the same divine spirit as the unquenchable thirst of im- 
mortality. It is, indeed, "of the eternal" a " co-eternal 
beam." 

The commencement of this course of historical lectures is 
eotemporaneous with the opening for our use of yonder cas- 
tellated edifice, whose apartments are destined to become 
'' storied halls" with " tropiiied arches ;" our society having 
met this evening, for the first time, in the division appro- 
priated to our use. Under the influence of the spirit allu- 
ded to, let us cast a retrospective glance at some of the ob- 
jects immediately connected with such an occasion : 1 refer 
particularly to the structure spoken of, and the ground on 
which it is erected. 

Following the natural order, let us then, in the first place, 
enquire what title we have to the land thus occupied ; for it 
much concerns us to know, whether we are rightfully in 
possession, or trespassers. Can we truly and confidently 
say to all adverse claimants — Hccc mea sunt ? 

It is familiar history with those whom I address, that the 
first permanent settlers of Hartford came here in 1635 ; that 
having been admitted freemen in Massachusetts, they, on; 
their arrival here, organized themselves as a municipal cor- 
poration ; and that the next important step was, to procure 
from the original proprietors a title to the land within their 
corporate limits. Accordingly, upon the application of 
Samuel Stone and William Goodwin, in behalf of them- 
selves and their associates, Sungkquasson, Q Sachem of 
Sukiauge, and grand-proprietor of the lands in that sachem- 
dom, wath the consent of his adult subjects, in the year 
1636, granted to such applicants, for the use of themselves 
and their associates, by a written instrument under his hand, 
for a satisfactory consideration by him received, all the land 

(o) The name of this chieftain, like most Indian names,is variously spelled. 
Winthrop spells it, in one instance, Sequasson, and in another, Sequashin. 
2 Winth. JV. E. 12S. 332. {Sav. ed.) Trumbull spells it, uniformly, Se- 
quassen; and it is generally so spelled in the records of the United Colonies.. 



W A D S W O R T n A T n E N .^ U 3f . 7 

between Welhersfield bounds on the South and Windsor 
bounds on the Nortli, and extending", the whole breadth, 
from Connecticut river on the East, six large miles into the 
wilderness on the West. This grant was afterwards, upon 
the desire of Mr. Haynes and the other authorities of the 
town, and upon a further consideration paid, renewed and 
enlarged, by the same aboriginal patriarch. In a succeed- 
ing age, after he had gone to his final rest, [1670] it was 
fully confirmed, by his successors, on their receiving a fur- 
ther gratification nearly equivalent to the orignial value of 
the land. (") 

The first notice of Simckquasson, furnished by our records, 
after his original grant to the Hartford planters, is under 
dale of July 2d, 1G40, Avhen he appeared before the Par- 
ticular Court, and testified, that he never sold any ground 
to the Dutch ; neither was at any time conquered by the 
Pequots, nor paid any tribute to them. The object of this 
testimony probably was, to repel the claim of our Dutch 
neighbours of the Manhattoes to any part of the land em- 
braced in the above-mentioned grant. 

Sunckqnasson was a relative of Miantonorao, chief Sa- 
chem of the Narragansets, and one of his peculiar favourites ; 
and the well-known hostility of the patron towards Uncas, 
Sachem of tlie Mohegans, was readily infused into the heart 
of the protege. Uncas was not backward to reciprocate the 
sentiment, whenever a suitable occasion presented itself. 
Such an occasion occurred in 1643. Sunckquasson's men 
had killed a principal Indian belonging to Uncas ; and 
shortly afterwards, Uncas himself having been up Connec- 
ticut river, on his return, was way-laid and shot at with 
iU'rows, by Sunckquasson, or some of his warriors. Uncas 

1 Trum. Hist. Con. 129. IGl. 2 Haz. Hist. Col. passim. In the records 
■of the Colony of Connecticut, July 2d, 1610, it is written Saqueston. 1 Col. 
Rec. 19. And in the Hartford Town records, under date of January, 104j, 
it is written Soaquasen. 1 Hart. Town Bee. 25. But in the Indian deed of 
confirmation, as it appears upon the public records, it is written Sunckquas- 
son ; (1 Col. Rec. 390, 1.) and this orthography I have adopted, because it is 
supported by equal authority, and is, I think, favoured by analogy, 
(fl) 1 Col. Rec. 390, 1. 



8 WADS WORTH ATIIENiElTM. 

thereupon required that six of Sunckquasson's men should 
be delivered to him for the murder of his man, because he 
was a great man. Governor Haynes and the Court interpo- 
sed their offices to dissuade Uncas from insisting on this de- 
mand ; and he at length reluctantly consented to accept of 
the murderer only. But Sunckquasson would not agree to 
deliver him. Uncas then gave him battle, and obtained a 
victory over him, killing seven or eight of his men, wound- 
ing' thirteen, burning his wigwam and carrying away the 
booty. (") 

The next passage of much importance in the life of Sunck- 
quasson, which has come to our knowledge, relates to his 
concern in what Dr. Trumbull calls "a horrid plot concert- 
ed among the Indians for the destruction of a number of 
the principal inhabitants of Hartford. "('') This transaction, 
whatever was its real character, took place in the Spring- of 
1646; and was brought before the Commissioners of the 
United Colonies, at their session at New Haven, in Septem- 
ber of that year, upon the representation of Mr. Hopkins 
and Mr. Haynes, charging Sunckquasson with a nnuderous 
design against themselves and Mr. Whiting. Mr. Haynes 
had twice sent in vain to Sunckquasson, who was then at 
Warrinoke, [Westfield] to answer to this charge ; but he, 
instead of coming to clear himself, chose to remain where 
he was. The Commissioners, considering the premises, 
thought fit to send for him again, with safe-conduct under 
their hands ; and accordingly gave instructions to Jonathan 
Gilbert, to repair, with all convenient speed, to Warrinoke, 
and having obtained opportunity to speak with Sunckquas- 
son, to give him to understand, ,that he and some others 
were accused, by a certain Indian some time residing with 
him, of a plot and conspiracy, entered into by them, for the 
killing of Mr. Hopkins, Mr. Haynes and Mr. Whiting ; and 
that the Conmiissioners, being very desirous to understand 
the truth or falsehood of the premises, tendered to him an 

(a) 2 Winth. J\r. E. 128,9. {Sav. ed.) 2 Haz. Hist. Col. 9. 1 Trum, 
Hist. Conn. 129. 

(&) 1 Trum. Hist. Conn. 101. 



W A D S W O R T H A T II E N .12 U M . 9 

open and impartial liearing before them, at their place of 
meeting in New Haven, in the presence of his accuser, who 
held himself ready to make good his accusation. The mes- 
seng-er went to the place where he nnderstood Sunckqiuis- 
son was; but could not get access to him so as to speak 
with him ; and of course, returned without him. But a few 
days afterwards, two Sagamores, with other Indians, came 
to New Haven, and informed the Commissioners, that they 
were friends of Sunck((uasson, and had been with him in 
Massachusetts; that having respect for the English, tliey 
had brought him down to clear himself; that while one of 
them hehl him by one arm, and the other by the other arm, 
when he was near New Haven, almost at the town fence, 
he broke from them, and disappeared, alleging that he was 
ashamed to go before the Commissioners, because he had 
brought them no present. The Commissioners declared, 
that they would not accept of any present from him, if ten- 
dered ; neither should the want of it prejudice his cause. 
They then proceeded to an ex parte examination of his ac- 
cuser, who testified, through an interpreter, that Sunck- 
qnasson had, the Spring before, proposed to him to go to 
Hartford, and kill Mr. Hopkins, Mr. Haynes or Mr. Whi- 
ting; that lie was to give it out, that Uncas had hired him 
to do this deed, which would set tlie English against Un- 
cas ; and that he and Sunckquasson would then fly together 
to the Mohawks : that Sunckquasson thereupon gave hinj 
some wampum, and promised to give liim much more : that 
the witness told Sunckquasson it Avas dangerous to kill an 
English Sachem ; and calculating that the favour of the 
English, which he would obtain, by a discovery of the plot, 
would be better to him thanSunckquasson's wampum, with 
tlie fear and danger attending it, he declined the offer, and 
immediately came to Hartford, and informed against Sunck- 
quasson. (") 

Winthrop tells the story somewhat differently. He 
says, that information was given to theConnnissioners, that 

{a) 2 Haz. Hist. Col. 50-Gl. 



10 W A D S W O R T II A T H E N iE U M . 

Sunckquasson would have hired an Indian to kill some of 
the magistrates of Hartford; whereupon he was sent for, 
but came not ; that they then sent for Uncas, who under- 
took to fetch him in, which not being able to do by open 
force, he surprised him in the night, and brought him to 
Hartford, where he wms kept in prison divers weeks. 
*'But," Winthrop adds, " there not being siitficient proof to 
convict him, he was discharged." (') Winthrop was prob- 
ably misinformed as to the arrest and imprisonment of 
Sunckquasson ; but that the Commissioners did not consider 
the proof sufficient to convict him, or to justify any further 
proceedings against him, is unqucstionalily true. 

After this, Sunckquasson lived on terms of so much favour 
with our government as to excite the apprehension ofCapt. 
Mason, the friend and neighbour of Uncas, as Avell as one of 
the pillars of the colony, that he was held in too high con- 
sideration. Capt. Mason accordingly wrote a letter to the 
General Court sitting at Hartford, in October, 1651, express- 
ing his dissatisfaction at Sunckquasson's being exalted, un- 
der our power, to great sachemship. The Court, however, 
declared, that they did aot know of any such thing; neither 
did they, or should they, allow or approve thereof. Q It 
was their policy to pursue a course of impartial neutrality 
between these hostile chieftains; and to this policy they 
adhered as strictly as the circumstances in which they were 
placed in relation to them respectively, would admit of. 

Notwithstanding the hatred subsisting between Sunck- 
•quasson and Uncas, it was not so inveterate as to prevent 
their uniting against a common foe. In 1656, a young Indian 
having killed a Sachem of Connecticut, dwelling at Mattabe- 
«et, [Middletown] allied to Sunckquasson, the aggressor fled 
to the Podunk Indians, who entertained and maintained hira, 
«is Sunckquasson alleged, against all justice. In this emer- 
gency, Sunckquasson resorted to Uncas " for help to be re- 
venged for the said Sachem's death." Uncas, being at that 
time enraged with the Podunks, for sundry wrongs which they 

(i)2 Winth. JV.E. 332,3. {Sav. ed.) 
(c) 2 Col. Rec. 2L 



W A D S VV O R T II A T II E N -E U 3r . 11 

had previously done him, especially in protecting a nnuder- 
er,wlio had fled from him to them,readily joined with Sunck- 
qiiasson in a complaint to the magistrates of Connecticut for 
redress. The magistrates thereupon ordered, that the Sa- 
chems of both sides should appear before the General Court 
at Hartford ; and they appeared accordingly. Sunckquasson 
stated his case. The Governor asked the complainants what 
satisfaction they required ? Tliey pressed hard to have ten 
men, friends of the murdere"r, who, they said, was a mean fel- 
low, [i.e. a common man,] putto death. The Podunk Sachem 
said, this was unjust; because the Sachem tliat was slain, had 
miu-dered the young man's uncle. They therefore proposed 
to give wampum, by way of satisfaction. This was wholly 
rejected. After some time spent by the Court, in persua- 
ding the parties to make peace, the complainants agreed 
to be satisfied with the death of six men. This offer was 
also rejected. The Court again intei posed. The Govern- 
or stated to them, that by our law, only the murderer, and 
his accomplices, could be punished ; and pressed the Po- 
dunks to deliver up the nun'derer in this case. They sug- 
gested that his friends were so many and so potent within 
the fort, that they could not deliver him up ; but finally, 
Totannimo, their Sachem, promised to do it. A committee 
of the Court then addressed Uncas privately, and persuaded 
him to accept of this satisfaction. But Totannimo, acting 
with punic faith, stole out of Court, and returned to Podunk 
fort. This offended both the English and the Indians, whO' 
agreed to send a messenger to take the murderer, and de- 
liver him np. C) What success this messenger had, the 
record does not inform us. Probably he consulted his own 
safety, by eschewing Podunk fort. 

These are tlie most interesting incidents in the life of this 
savage chieftain, which history has preserved. The memory 
of Uncas has been illustrated, even in our day, by a stately 
monument, erected on the soil which was once his own ; bufi 
not even a rude head-stone has ever told us where the bones- 
of Sunckquasson repose. He, and his subjects, and their 

(a) 2 CoL Eec. 86, 7. 



12 W A D S \V O R T II A T H E N .E U M . 

descendants, liave vanished from liis dominions. May not 
the majestic pile across the street, standing on the soil over 
vi^hich ho once bore sway, constitute his cenotaph ! 

Tlie first settlers, as we have seen, organized as a muni- 
cipal corporation, fairly purchased the lands \vithin their 
borders of the original proprietors ; paid them for such lands 
an adequate consideration ; and received from them au- 
thentic muniments of title. They are now tenants in com- 
mon of these lands. Not being imbued with the social the- 
ories of a later age, they proceed immediately to a partial 
division, subject to certain conditions which the public good 
required. The allotment of each individual is equitably 
apportioned, in quantity and value, to the amount of pur- 
chase money paid by him. Of every allotment a parcel of 
ground eligibly situated for a homestead, comprising from 
half an acre to three acres, is an essential part. (") The dis- 
tribution being made, the several parts allotted to each in- 
habitant are entered together upon a book kept for that pur- 
pose in the town-clerk's office ; {^) such entry being the 
consummating act in conferring a title in severalty. 

The original distribution of the lands in Hartford among 
the inhabitants, included a tract lying North of the Little 
river, between what are now Front and Main streets. The 
most Easterly part, comprising two acres, bordering upon the 
flats, or "little meadow," as it was then called, was allotted 
to Richard Webb, and by him sold to John Haynes, the first 
chief magistrate of the young community. Q Adjoining to 
to this on the West, was the homestead of the Rev. Tiiomas 
Hooker, a man not less considerable in moral, than his 
neio-hbotn- was in political power. This also comprised two 
acres. Q Adjoining to this on the West, was the domestic 
residence of that "lesser light" of the church, the Rev. 
Samuel Stone, comprising the same quantity. Q The 
Southern part of the neighbourhood was then completed, 

(a) 1 Hart. Town Bee. passim. 

(6) This book is entitled " Original Bistribittion of the Town of Hart- 
ford among the Settlers, 1G39." 

(c) Orig. Dist. 1. 40. (rf) Id. 32S. (e) Id. 378. 



WADS WORTH ATHEN^UM. 13 

by giving- the remaining parcel, lying West of Mr. Stone's 
and East of the highway, (now Main Street) comprising 
just three acres, to Elder William Goodwin. Q These 
four neighbours, thus located together, and separated from 
the other members of their community, on three sides, by 
highways, had other neighbours on the North ; among 
whom was John Steele, one of the persons named in the 
Massachusetts commission, and the first town-clerk of Hart- 
ford; whose homestead, consisting of two acres, wos bound- 
ed by the highway on the West, and extended Easterly 
through the breadth of the Goodwin and the Stone lots, {'') 

We are now prepared to introduce the description, which 
the record gives, of one of " several parcels of land in Hart- 
ford upon the river of Connecticut, belonging to Mr. Wil- 
liam Goodwin, Elder there in Christ's church." It is as 
follows : " February, A. D. 1639. One parcel on which 
his dwelling-house now standeth, with other out-houses, 
yards or gardens thereon being, containing, by estimation, 
three acres, more or less; abutting on the highway lying 
on the North side of the Riveret, on the South ; on the 
highway leading from the palisado to Sentinel-liill, on the 
West ; on Mr. Samuel Stone's land, on the East ; and on 
John Steele's land, on the North." Q The word " riveret," 
the diminutive of river, is here appropriately and beautifully 
used to distinguish this stream from Connecticut river. The 
" palisado" was on the North bank of the riveret, where 
the present Main-street crosses it ; and Sentinel-hill was an 
eminence a little North-west of the present North Congre- 
gational church, which has since been reduced. The line 
dividing the Goodwin and Stone lots on the South, from the 
Steele lot on the North, was nearly coincident with the 
North side of the present way, called " Wadsworth's alley." 
The land whose history we are tracing, was, consequently, 
embraced in the Goodwin lot, constituting the North-west 
corner thereof. 

Elder William Goodwin, the first proprietor in severalty 
of the land in question, was a prominent man among the 

(a) Orig. Dist. 19. (6) Id. 401. (<;) Jd. I'J. 

2 



14 WADSWORTn ATHENiEUM. 

first settlers of this commonwealth. He was admitted a 
freeman of Massachusetts, at Cambridge, in November^ 
1632 ; C) and was a member of the first General Court in 
that province at which delegates attended, held in May, 
1634 ; and among those delegates, his name stands first on 
the record. C") Gov. Winthrop, speaking of his conduct 
in that General Court, describes him as "a very reverend 
and godly man, being the elder of the congregation of New- 
town" — i. e. Cambridge. Q Soon after his arrival here, he 
was commissioned to act with Mr. Stone, (as we have seen) 
in the important negotiation with the Indians for the pur- 
chase of their lands. He was comparatively a man of 
wealth. He was honoured by Gov. Hopkins, by being made 
a trustee in his will. C') At the time of the dissensions in the 
church in 1659, he, being at the head of one of the parties, 
left this place, and removed, with Gov. Webster, Mr. Whi- 
ting, Mr. Cullick, and others, to Hadley, Q and was a 
ruling elder in the church there. He subsequently rejiioved 
to Farmington in Connecticut, where he died, in 1673. He 
left but one child, a daughter, named Elizabeth, who mar- 
ried John Crow, of Hartford, whose residence was on the 
East side of the Connecticut river. His name, among his 
descendants, thus ran out : not so, his blood. It continued 
to flow, and still flows, as will be seen in the course of these 
remarks, in veins not unworthy of their ancestry. 

Before we proceed to our next link in tlie chain of title, 
it is necessary to ailvert to the law of Connecticut, at this 
period, regarding the alienation of real estate. You will 
probably expect me to show, in belialf of the succeeding 
proprietor, a deed or devise fiom William Goodwin, or at 
least a distribution or sale pursuant to a decree of probate. 
I can shew neither ; and I maintain that neither was neces- 
sary, in order to transfer a legal title. No statute was 
passed, and no law existed, making a deed necessary for this 
purpose, until October, 1660. A sale by parol agreement, 

(o) 2 TVinth. JV. E. 363. Append. {Sav. ed.) 

(i)l Winth. JV. E. 129. note. {Sav. ed.) (c) Id. 142. 

(rf)W. 228,9. note. (e) 1 Trumb. Hist. Conn. 310, &seq. 



WADSWORTH ATHENJEUM. 15 

accompanied by the possession of the vendee and an entry 
of the land upon the town records as his property, gave him 
as perfect and valid a title, before the period referred to, as 
a deed executed with the formalities required by the exist- 
ing law, can now give. As early as October, 1639, it was 
provided, by an act of the General Court, that each town 
should provide a ledger book, with an index, and should 
choose a town-clerk, who should record every man's house 
or lands already granted and measured out to him, with the 
bounds and quantity of the same ; every owner was required, 
under a penalty, to bring in to the town-clerk a note., (not a 
deed) of his house and lands, with the bounds and quantity 
of the same, by the nearest estimation ; tlie like to be done 
in relation to all lands thereafter granted and measured to 
any; and then it was declared, that all bnrgains or mort- 
gages of lands whatsoever should be accounted of no value, 
until they should be recorded. (") And we have the author- 
ity of our supreme court of errors, in the opinion delivered 
by Judge Trumbull, in a case before that court in 1814, 
for saying, that by virtue of our early statutes, the freehold 
of lands became vested, without livery of seisin, by a record 
of the title or conve3^ance in the public register of the town 
in which such lands were situated ; and a grantee in posses- 
sion under a title or conveyance so recorded, was not liable 
to be evicted, by the grantor or any other person, but had 
evidence of his title against all mankind. (*) It is true, that 
deeds were in use from the earliest period of our govern- 
ment. The first on record was one of the Plymouth house 
at Windsor, executed by William Holmes, as agent of the 
governor and assistants of the Plymouth Plantation, to Mat- 
thew Allyn, dated May 3d, 1638. Q And many others of 
a date somev/hat later, previous to the statute of 1660, are 
to be found on our early records. ("^ But that conveyances 
were often — not to say generally — made, without deed ; 
and that such conveyances, accompanied with a change of 

(a) 1 Col. Rec. 30, 31. 

{h) Chalker v. Chalker, I Conn. Rep. 88. 

(<■) 1 Col. Rec. 413, {d) 1 Coh Rec. 413. & seq. 



16 WADSWORTTI ATHENE UM. 

possession, and recorded, were effectual to transfer the title^ 
are truths estabb'shed by incontrovertible evidence. 

After Elder Goodwin removed to Hadley, we find John 
Blackleach, formerly of Boston, now a merchant of enter- 
prise and wealth in Hartford, in possession of the lot in 
question. What title had he to this lot ? No deed of it to 
him can be found. But does the record shew no title in 
him '? Let us see how it reads : " Land in Hartford upon 
Connecticut belonging to Mr. John Blackleach and his heirs 
forever. One parcel which he bought of Mr. William 
Goodwin, on which his dwelling-house now standeth, to- 
gether with several out-houses &c. thereon being, contain- 
ing, by estimation, three acres, (be it more or less) and 
abutteth on a highway lying on the North side of the Riv- 
eret, on the South ; and on a highway leading from the 
palisado to the Sentinel-hill, on the West ; and Mr. Samuel 
Stone's land, on the East ; and on Jeremy Adams his land, 
on the North." Q The description of the land as to quan- 
tity and boundaries, it will be perceived, is precisely the 
same as in the original distribution to William Goodwin^ 
except the North line. John Steele having, in the mean- 
time, conveyed his lot to Jeremy Adams, the present record 
correctly describes the premises as being bounded on the 
North, by his land. 

It appears, then, that John Blackleach bought this land of 
William Goodwin ; and that a note thereof, with the bounds 
and quantity of the same, was duly recorded. We do not 
yet find a broken link or flaw in the chain of title. Let us 
proceed. 

On the 20th of June, 1661, John Blackleach, in consid- 
eration of .£240 sterling, conveyed the premises, by a formal 
deed of that date, to his son, John Blackleach, jun. of 
Boston. (*) [This, you will perceive, was after the statute of 
deeds of 1660.] The deed follows the record we have re- 
cited, in the description of the premises. The grantee, 
though at this time described as of Boston, was admitted 

(a) Orig. Dist. 557. (6) u. 559. 



WADSWORTH ATHEN^UM. 17 

an inhabitant of Hartford, on the 2d of September follow- 
ing- (") 

John Blackleach jun. held this lot until the 26th of Feb- 
ruary, 1666, when he conveyed it, by a deed containing the 
same description as that in the deed to him, to Thomas 
Welles, of Hartford, (') a son of Gov. Thomas Welles. 

Of this proprietor I have not been able to procure much 
information. It appears, that he was married, in June 
1654, to Mrs. Hannah Pantry ; Q and that he died in 1668, 
or about that time. He remained proprietor but a short 
time. 

On the 28th of February, 1666, two days after the date of 
his deed from Blackleach, Thomas Welles conveyed the 
lot, by deed, to Eliezur Way ; {'^) who held it until his 
death. Administration was granted on his estate, on the 
1st of September 1687, and an inventory of his property 
was made ; but no distribution was effected until January 
8th, 1696; when the land in question was, by agreement 
of the parties interested, distributed to Ebenezer Way.Q 

This proprietor held it less than a year. On the 3d of 
October 1696, it was conveyed, by a deed of that date, 
executed by him and his wife Irene, (she joining with him 
to extinguish all future claim of dower) to Elizabeth 
Wilson, of Hartford. The consideration specified in the 
deed isjElSO, current silver money of New-England. An- 
nexed to this deed is the following clause, under the hand 
and seal of Mary Way, the mother of Ebenezer : " Mrs. 
Mary Way, to signify her free and voluntary consent to her 
son's alienating the housing(-'') and land above demised, sub- 

(a) 1 Hart. Town Bee. lOG. (6) Orig. Dist. 11. 

(c) Orig. Dist. reversed. (d) Orig. Dist. 64. 

{e) 4 Hart. Prob. iJec. 133, 251,2. ^y Hart. Prob. Rec. 225. 

(/) The word "housing," which occurs frequently in our ancient records, 
it has been said, was used by our ancestors, as the plural oihowse. But this, 
I apprehend, is not strictly correct. It is rather nomen collectivum, and 
imports not simply two or more houses, but every structure of the house kind 
upon the lot. The word is analogous in its meaning to other words of a sim- 
ilar formation — e. g bedding, carpeting, clothing, shipping, &c. " Hous- 
ing" has now become obsolete ; but it is not otherwise exceptionable. 



18 W A D S W O R T H A T II E N .^ U M . 

scribeth and sealeth with her son, and thereby relinquisheth 
all her right, title and interest in said housing and land, 
howsoever derived. "(") In this deed, the premises are des- 
cribed as abutting '• Northerly on land of Ensign Zechariah 
Sanford, and Easterly on land of Samuel Spencer;" but 
these boundaries are in fact the same as those in the former 
conveyances, on the North and East ; there having been, 
in the meantime, a corresponding change of ownership in 
the parcels of land referred to. 

I am happy to have it in my power to give some account, 
though a concise one, of this proprietor. She was the 
daughter of John and Elizabeth Crow, before-mentioned, 
and of course, the grand-daughter of Elder Goodwin. Her 
first husband was William Warren of Hartford, by whom 
she had a daughter, who will be introduced to you presently. 
After his death, she became the wife of Phinehas Wilson, 
an eminent merchant from Dublin, settled in Hartford; and, 
at the date of the last-mentioned deed, she was his widow ; 
he having died in May, 1692. She was a woman of busi- 
ness habits and of wealth ; being one of the greatest land- 
holders, and probably the greatest money-lender, in the 
town. And she was careful to take good security : the 
town records of that period are filled with her mortgages. 
In January, 1725, she made her will, disposing of all her 
estate. Among her numerous legacies, was one of <£40. 
to the poor widows in Hartford, to be distributed among 
them at the discretion of her executrix. She died, on the 
19th of July, 1727, at the advanced age of eighty-seven, 
having been in possession of the land in question more than 
thirty years. 

Mrs. Wilson, though she left many legatees — these she 
could make by a stroke of her pen — left but one child — the 
daughter just alluded to — at that time the estimable consort 
of the Rev. Timothy Woodbridge, pastor of the First Con- 
gregational Society in Hartford. To Abigail Woodbridge, 
and her heirs, forever, Mrs. Wilson devised the residue of 
her estate, after payment of the specific legacies, with cer- 

(o) I Hart. Rec. of Deeds, 155. 



WADSWORTII ATHEN.EUM. 19 

tain limitations which it is not necessary to specify here ; 
and constituted her the sole executrix of her will. The 
inventory of Mrs. Wilson's estate, dated the 26th of July, 
1727, contains the following clause : " The homestead and 
buildings thereon purchased of Way, ^£250." (") Mrs. 
Woodbridge, after her mother's death, thus became the 
proprietor of the estate in question, l)y an indisputable title ; 
and so continued until the transaction which I am about 
to state, took place. 

Tiiis estate, from the time it was originally laid out, and 
allotted to Elder Goodwin, down to the time referred to — 
through all its changes of ownership, during a period but 
little short of a century — remained entire. A division is 
now to be effected. The Rev. Mr. Woodbridge died on the 
30th of April. 1732 ; and the Rev. Daniel Wadsworth was 
ordained, on the 28th of September, 1732, as his successor in 
the ministiy. Mrs. Woodbridge now has an opportunity to 
furnish her new minister, and the congregation under his 
charge, with eligible sites, one for a dwelling-house, the 
other for a meeting-house, from contiguous portions of land 
taken from the Ekler Goodwin lot. Accordingly, she, on 
the 25th of June, 1733, executes two deeds, in tbe presence 
of the same witnesses, and acknowledges them before the 
same magistrate ; and so simultaneously are they to take 
effect, that the subject of each is described as it would be, 
if no conveyance of the other were made : i. e. the line 
constituting the Northern boundaiy of one lot and the 
Southern boundary of the other, is described as still border- 
ing on her own land. 

I will first take some notice of that conveying the meeting- 
house site. 

The operative words of the deed are introduced with 
the following recital : " Whereas my honoured mother, 
Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson, late of Hartford, deceased, in her 
life-t'me, did promise to give to God and the First Church 
and Society in Hartford, whereof the Rev. Mr. Daniel 
Wadsworth is now pastor, so nuich of that lot of land which 

(a) 12 Hart. Prob. Rec. 28 to 34. 



20 WADSWORTII ATHEN^UM. 

my said mother purchased of Mr. Ehenezer Way, lyin^ in 
the town aforesaid, bounded North on land of the heirs of 
Zechariah Sanford, deceased, East on the land of John 
Austin, [now the owner of the original Stone lot] and South 
and West on the street, as would be needful and convenient 
to erect and build a house for attending- the public worship 
of God ; which, nevertheless, my mother, in her life-time, 
did not make sure, by any instrument of conveyance ; and 
whereas the whole of the aforesaid lot of land, since the 
death of my said mother, has, by descent or otherwise, law- 
fully become the proper estate of inheritance of me, the 
said Abigail Woodbridge; and being truly sensible of the 
desire and good intent of my said mother in and respecting 
the premises ; and also considering it as a duty to honour 
God with my substance, and to return to him and the church 
some part of that, which, in his kind providence, he hath 
given me ; and whereas the committee of the said Society 
hereafter in these presents named, have moved to me for a 
legal conveyance of so much of my aforesaid lot as may be 
sufficient for the use aforesaid." The deed then proceeds 
thus : " Know ye, therefore, that I, the said Abigail Wood- 
bridge, for the considerations aforesaid, and for divers other 
good and weighty considerations me thereunto especially 
moving, have given and granted, and do, by these presents, 
give, grant, convey and confiim unto the Hon. Joseph Tal- 
cott Esq., Capt. Hezekiah Wyllis. Capt. Cyprian Nichols, 
Capt. John Sheldon, Dea. Thomas Richards, Mr. James 
Ensign, Mr. Samuel Catlin, Mr. John Edwards and Mr. 
Edward Cad well, all of Hartford aforesaid, committee of 
the First Society aforesaid, and members of said Society, 
and to the rest of the members of said Society, to and for 
the use of the said Society, to build a house upon for the 
inhabitants of said Society to meet in and attend divine 
service and worship — one certain piece or parcel of land, 
being parcel of the lot above in these presents described and 
mentioned, containing in quantity 7842 square feet, (be it 
more or less,) beginning at the North-West corner thereof, 
at the street, on the West, at the Northernmost post of the 



WADSWOnTH ATHEN^UM. 21 

board-fence South of the gate opening into the barn-yard — 
and to extend Southerly, in the Hne where the fence now 
stands, seventy-nine feet ; and from thence to run Eastward 
into the lot ninety-eight feet, and from thence running 
Northwardly, by a line parallel to the street, or first above 
described line, seventy-nine feet; and from thence to run 
Westward, ninety-eight feet, to the first above-mentioned 
North-West corner : being in form of a parallelogram or ob- 
long square ; bounded West on the street, and every other 
way on mine own land." Then follow the habendum^ 
covenants, &c. in the usual form. (") 

The land described in this deed, is, with some changes 
in its limits, the lot which is now owned by Charles Brain- 
erd, and which was so long the residence of the Rev. Dr. 
Strong. The Society held it but a little more than four 
years. In May 1737, the G(meral Assembly established 
another place as tlie site of the new meeting-house, viz. 
" the South-East part of the burying lot in Hartford, with 
part of Capt. Nathaniel Hooker's lot adjoining thereto ;"('') 
so that the land granted by Mrs. Woodbridge, was not 
needed for that purpose ; and the society, at a meeting held 
on the 1st of August 1737, authorized their committee to 
execute to her a release deed of such land ; which, on the 
7th of October following, w^as accordingly done.Q 

In the other deed, the grantee is descrilied as " Daniel 
Wadsworth, late of Farmington, now of Hartford ;" the 
■consideration stated therein, is, " jGIOO in money ;" and 
the description of the premises is as follows : " One certain 
piece of land lying in Hartford, containing one acre, being 
part of the lot formerly belonging unto Mrs. Elizabeth 
Wilson, and by her bought of Ebenezer Way , which acre 
of land is butted and bounded. Easterly with land belong- 
ing unto Mr. John Austin, Westerly with a highway, 
Northerly with land belonging to Mr. Samuel Flagg, [father 
of the late Dr. Flagg of East-Hartford, who had become the 

(a) 1 Hart. Rec. of Deeds, 126. 

(b) 6 Col. iJec.SlO. (c) 6 Hart. Rec. of Deeds, 335,6. 

3 



22 WADSWORTH ATHENAEUM. 

owner of the original Steele lot,] and Southerly with land 
belonging to the said Abigail Woodbridge" — [i. e. the land 
conveyed by the first-mentioned deed.] Q 

The grantee under this deed Avent into immediate pos- 
session of the land, and erected thereon a dwelling-house, 
in which he spent the remainder of his life. 

Before we proceed with our history, let us take leave of 
the late proprietor, by a short notice of her. She was a 
great-grand daughter of Elder Goodwin ; and was born in 
the year 1676 or 1677. Her parents appear to have been 
respectable, but in moderate circumstances ; though her 
mother, as we have seen, eventually became wealthy. In 
January, 1692, Miss Warren, at the early age of sixteen, 
was mairied to RichardLord, then a young man of twenty- 
three, tiie only child of Richard Lord, a merchant of great 
wealth and some political consideration, being a member 
of the Upper House. Her husband died in 1712, leaving 
three or four children by her, and a large estate. The Rev. 
Timothy Woodbridge, the respected and beloved pastor of 
the First Society, then a widower, was so fortunate as to 
contract an alliance with this lady, who was still young, 
and as rich in moral worth ns in worldly estate. Her second 
husband died in April, 1732. She survived him until Jan- 
uary 1, 1754 ; when she was buried by the side of her first 
husband, the companion of her youth. Among her known 
benefactions, during her long life, it may not be improper 
to mention the gift of a bell to Yale-College, in 1723 — the 
first that ever broke the morning slumbers of a student in 
that institution. (') 

The Rev. Daniel Wadsworth was the great-giand-son of 
William Wadsworth, one of the first settlers of Hartford. 
John Wadsworth, the eldest son of William, and brother of 
Joseph of charter memory, settled at Farmington, and was 
an Assistant or member of the Upper House, from 1680 
until Sir Edmond Andross took into his hands the govern- 

(a) 5 Hart. Rec. of Deeds, 521,2. 

{b) Baldwiti's Annals of Yale College, 308, 



WADS WORTH ATIIEN^UM. 23 

ment of tho Colony. He was sitting at the Council Board, 
when his disloyal brother abstracted tlie charter. His sec- 
ond son, also named John, married Mrs. Sarah Gridley. 
Tiiey had two sons, John and Daniel, and four daughters. 
Daniel, the subject of our present notice, was born at Far- 
mington, in the year 1704 or 1705. He was educated at 
Yale-College, and graduated there in 1726. He was a 
member of the corporation of that institution, from 1743 
until his death. In February, 1734, he married Miss Abi- 
gail Talcott, daughter of Gov. Joseph Talcott. He died, 
greatly respected, on the 12th of November 1747, in the 
prime of life and in the midst of his usefulness, leaving a 
widow and six children, viz. two sons, — Daniel and Jere- 
miah, and four daughters, — Abigail, Eunice, Elizabeth 
and Ruth. In the inventory of his estate, his " house and 
homestead" are apprised at j£2000.('') 

By his will, dated December 19th, 1746, and a codicil, 
dated October 3d, 1747, he disposed of his estate, giving 
to his wife one-third part of his personal estate forever, and 
the use and improvement of one-half of his homelot, dw^ell- 
ing-house, barn and well, during her natural life.C") It is 
not necessary for our present purpose to specify the provis- 
ion made by the testator for each of his children ; for, on 
the 10th of August, 1765, after the death of Daniel and 
Ruth, the survivors entered into a mutual agreement, under 
their hands and seals, for the settlement of their father's 
estate, which was exhibited to and approved by the court of 
probate. Q By this arrangement, Jeremiah, Eunice and 
Elizabeth, each, became the proprietor in fee, of one full 
third part of the mansion house and lot in question, subject, 
of course, to the life estate of their mother in one half. 
Abigail, the other surviving sister, was provided for, by other 
estate equivalent in value. In the instrument referred to, 
the premises are thus described: " The mansion house and 
lot in Hartford, containing one acre, bounded North on the 

(a) 15 Hart. Prob. Rec. 321. 
(6) 15 Hart. Prob. Rec. 238, 9. 
(c) 21 Hart. Prob. Rec. 311 & seq. 



24 WADSWORTII ATHEN^UM. 

heirs of Samuel Flagg, late of said Hartford, deceased ; 
West, on the Main-street ; South on land belonging to 
George Lord [the grantee of John Haynes Lord, who was 
the grandson of Mrs. Woodbridge;] and East on land be- 
longing to the heirs of John Ellcry, deceased." John Ellery 
was the grandson of John Austin, the former owner of the 
last-mentioned land, and took it I)y devise from him, after 
the death of his widow and daughter, the devisees for life. Q 

On the 28th of June, 1773, Mrs. Abigail Wadsworth died ; 
and thus her life-estate in the homestead became extinct. 

By a release deed, dated the 30th of December, 1797, 
Jeremiah Wadsworth, in consideration of twenty dollars 
and an exchange of lands, conveyed to his sisters Eunice 
and Elizabeth all his right in the homestead, to extend from 
the front on Main-street as far East as the fence which ran 
North and South and divided the land as it was then occu- 
pied, between him and his son, Daniel Wadsworth. {^) 
Eunice and Elizabeth Wadsworth, on the same day, and as 
part of the same arrangement, conveyed to their brother 
Jeremiah all their right in that part of the homestead which 
lay East of the garden fence. (*) By a deed of indenture of 
the same date, they then leased to him the West part of the 
homestead, for the term of his natural life ; — to have and en- 
joy the same in common with the lessors, and them alone, 
without let or hindrance ; he paying the reasonable rent of 
one pepper-corn annually, on the first Monday of May in 
each year, during said term.C') Col. Wadsworth spent the 
remainder of his days in a Inred house. 

He had no longer any title, except as lessee, to that part 
of the homestead, which lay West of the garden fence ; but 
he had become the sole and absolute owner of that part 
which lay East of this fence, and was also the sole proprie- 
tor of other land adjoining thereto on the West side of Pros- 
pect street, which he had bought of Joseph Hart and his 

(a) See the will of John Austin, dated February 19th, 1842, 14 Hart. Prob. 
Rec. 92. and the will of John Ellery, dated April 7th, 176t, 19 Hart. Prob. 
Bee. 200. 

(b) 21 Hart. Rec. Deeds, G17. 

(c) Id. 6\8 (d) Id. 619. 



WADSWORTH ATHENvEUM. 25 

wife Eunice. C) She was the dang-hter of John Ellery, and 
took the last-mentioned Land by devise from him. (*) 

By will, dated October 30th, 1799, Col. Wadsworth devi- 
sed to his son Daniel Wadsworth, the land, house, and 
other JHiildings where the devisee then lived, and now lives, 
bounded Easterly by Prospect street ; Southerly, by land 
in possession of the Rev. Nathan Strong ; Westerly, by 
land of Eunice and Elizabeth Wadsworth, divided by an 
open fence ; and Northerly, by an alley. (^) 

On the 8th of Aug-ust, 1803, Eunice and Elizabeth Wads- 
worth made their wills respectively, each giving to the 
other, the use of all her real estate, during the life of the 
devisee, and such estate in fee, after her decease, to her 
nephew, Daniel Wadsworth, and her niece, Catharine 
Terry. The testatrix then provided, that whatever right 
she might have in " our mansion house and the land there- 
to adjoining," should be vested in said Daniel, subject to a 
condition which it is not necessary to specify, as all that the 
condition required has long since been done.^) Elizabeth 
Wadsworth died on the 15th of November, iSlO, and Eu- 
nice, on the 23d of July, 1825. Daniel Wadsworth thus be- 
came vested with anal)solute title to the homestead West of 
the fence. Having previously taken the land between the 
fence and Prospect-street, as we liave seen, by devise from 
his father, a perfect title was now vested in him to all the 
land between Main-street on the West, and Prospect-street 
on the East. 

For a notice of Eunice and Elizabeth Wadsworth, I am 
indebted to one intimately acquainted with them. They 
were born at Hartford ; the former, on the 31st of August, 
1736, the latter, on the 19th of July, 1738. Heartfelt piety 
and an integrity that influenced every word and action, 
were the foundation of those virtues which distinguished 
them through life. Respect for the institutions and minis- 

(a) 17 Hart. Rec. Deeds, 231. 

(6) See the will of John Ellery, before referred to. 

{c) 27 Hart. Prob. Rec. 144. 213. 

(d) 29 Jd. 296, 7. 35 Id. 101, 2. 



26 \V A D S W O R T H A T II E N JE U M . 

ters of religion, sacred regard for the Sabbath, and love of 
God's holy temple, were mingled with an industrious im- 
provement of time, fond affection for those connected with 
them by kindred blood, and warm sympathy in the woes of 
others, which age did not quench, and which might be seen 
in the moistened eye, whenever any tale of human suffer- 
ing met the ear. Of these sisters it may be emphatically 
said, " the memory of the just is blessed." (") 

The life of Jeremiah Wadsworth is yet to be written. 
The biography of this distinguished man, if pioperly exe- 
cuted, would be replete with interest and instruction. All 
that I propose to do, on the present occasion, is, to glance 
at a few of the prominent events of his life. 

He was born at Hartford, on the 12th of July, 1743. His 
father died when he was but a little more than four years 
old. Tradition says of him, that in his early youth, he was 
inclined to action and sport, rather than to study. While 
he was yet of a tender age, his mother placed him under 
the care and in the service of her brother, Mattliew Talcott, 
Esq., a merchant in Middletown, extensively concerned in 
navigation. When he was about eighteen years of age, he 
was taken with spitting blood ; and his flesh began to waste 
away. Under these circumstances, he, by the advice of his 
friends, readily accepted the place of a seaman before the 
mast, in one of his uncle's vessels. Here he soon recover- 
ed his health. After several voyages — generally short 
ones — in this capacity, he became, first the mate, and after- 
wards the master, of a vessel. He was thus at sea at least 
ten years. Faithful and efficient in his business, he won 
the confidence and esteem of his employer, and of all who 
had dealings with him. 

During the latter part of this period, he married Miss Me- 
hitabel Russell, daughter of the Rev. William Russell of 
Middletown. After his mother's death in 1773, he, with 
his family — a wife and three children — removed to Hart- 
ford, and occupied, in common with his sisters, the paternal 
mansion house. 

(a) Mrs. Sigourney. 



W A D S W O R T H A T H E N ^ U M . Zi 

The revolutionary war, which commenced when he was 
about thirty two years old, deprived him of his employment 
at sea. But he had become too much a man of business to 
be idle. It was seen, that his experience and tact in buy- 
ing and selling cargoes, might be turned to a profitable ac- 
count — profitable to his country as well as to himself — in 
furnishing supplies for the army. He was offered the place 
of deputy-commissary under Col. Joseph Trumbull, wliich 
he accepted ; and so satisfactorily did he execute its duties, 
that on the resignation of his principal, not long afterwards, 
he was appointed, by Congress, as his successor in office. 
After the arrival of the French troops, he became commis- 
sary of the French army, and acted in that capacity until 
the close of the war. 

His official situation, his knowledge of the country and 
its resources, his insight into the characters and motives of 
men, and his sound common sense on all subjects, rendered 
it useful, not to say necessary, for the principal officers of 
the American and French army to hold frequent consulta- 
tions with him. He shared largely in their confidence — es- 
pecially in that of the conmiander-in-chief. Hence they 
were often his guests ; and his house was always open to 
them. The following apostrophe to this house after its re- 
moval, is not less authentic as a record of historical facts, 
than its diction is graceful : 



" Fallen dome — beloved so well, 
Thou could'st many a lea;end tell 
Of the chiefs of ancient fame. 
Who, to share thy shelter, came. 
Hochanibeau and La Fayette 
Round thy plenteous board have met, 
With Columbia's mightier son, 
Great and glorious Washingtoiv. 
Here, with kindred minds, they plann'd 
Rescue for an infant land; 
While the British lion's roar 
Echo'd round the leagur'd shore." (a) 

(a) Mrs. Sigourney. 



28 WADSWORTH ATIIEN^UM. 

Let me add, in my own plain prose, that General Wash- 
ing-ton was enjoying the hospitality of this house, with 
Count de Rochambeau, at the time Arnold was perpetrating 
treason at West Point, and returned to take a hasty break- 
fast at the traitor's table, an hour after he had fled from it, 
and immediately before the discovery of his guilt. (°) 

In July, 1783, after the cessation of hostilities, and a few 
weeks before the treaty of peace was signed. Col. Wads- 
worth embarked for France, for the purpose of rendering 
an account of his administration to the proper officers of the 
French government, and obtaining a final settlement with 
them. He arrived in Fiance, in August, after a passage of 
twenty-seven days. So correctly had his accounts been 
kept, and so satisfactory had his oJfficial conduct been, that 
a settlement was effected without difficulty ; and the large 
balance in his favour was honourably paid. In the latter 
part of March, 1784, he left France, and passed over to 
England, where he remained until some time in July fol- 
lowing. Thence he went to Ireland, where he spent about 
six weeks ; and then returned to America. He arrived in 
Delaware Bay, after a passage of fifty-six days. 

A considerable part of the funds he received from the 
French government he invested in French, English and 
Irish goods, which he brought home and sold in Hartford 
and Philadelphia. This, with the care and management 
of his other property, aflforded him sufficient employment 
in the way of business, without trenching upon his social 
and domestic enjoyments. 

During this period, he caused some improvements in the 
agriculture of his neighl)ourhood, by successful experiments 
on his own land. He also introduced into the state breeds 
both of horses and horned cattle, superior to those which 
had been previously raised here. 

When the constitution of the United States was referred 
to the people of the several states for their consideration, 
he was elected a member of the convention of this state 

(a) Sparks' Life of Arnold, passim. 



WADS WORTH ATHEIVJEUM. 29 

from his native town, and not only took a deep interest in its 
proceedings, but largely shared its labours and responsibil- 
ities. Though his education and habits had not especially 
fitted him for public debate, yet his natural good sense sur- 
mounted every difficulty of this sort, and he became an effi- 
cient advocate of the constitution. After its adoption, he 
was elected a member of the first Congress, with such men 
as Roger Sherman, Jonathan Trumbull, and others, for his 
colleagues. He was re-elected to the second Congress, and 
afterwards to the third. After serving his state and coun- 
try, in this capacity, for six years, he resigned his seat, or 
declined a further election. In May, 1795, the next session 
of the General Assembly of this state after the expiration 
of the third Congress, he was chosen a representative of his 
native town in the popular branch, and was, at the same 
time, elected, by the freemen of the state, an Assistant or 
member of tlie Council. He took Jiis seat in the latter body ; 
and was annually re-elected to that station until 1801, when, 
at his own request, he was omitted. He died on the 30th 
of April 1804, leaving a widow and two children — a son 
and a daughter. 

I have not time, if I had the requisite materials and qual- 
ifications, for a full delineation of his character. It may 
be sufficient for the present occasion, to mention a few char- 
acteristic qualities, which those who knew him best, love to 
cherish in their memories. To a sunny cheerfulness of 
temper, he united very vivid recollections of past events, 
combining important historical truths with pleasant anec- 
dotes ; and these he related so well as to entertain and 
delight his hearers. He was a most firm friend ; and to 
those whom he loved, his generosity was unbounded ; whilst 
his firmness and integrity kept at bay the inquisitive and 
the intriguing. He gave encouragement to industrious 
people, by advice, and when their necessities required it, * 
by pecuniary assistance. No man since the days of Job, 
could, with more truthfulness, appropriate his declaration — 
^' I was a father to the poor ; and the cause which I knew 
not, I searched out." Col. Humphreys, than whom few 
4 



30 WADS WORTH ATHEN^UiM. 

liad better opportunities of knowing him, says — " He was 
always the protector and the guardian of the widow, the 
fatherless and the distressed." In relation to his public 
character, the same distinguished witness testifies as fol- 
lows : " No man in this country was ever better acquainted 
with its resources, or the best mode of drawing them forth 
for the public use. His talents for and dispatch of business, 
were unrivalled. His services, at some periods of the war, 
were incalculable. "(") 

M. I)e Warville, a respectable French gentleman, who 
travelled in this country in 1788, thus speaks of him : 
" Hartford is the residence of one of the most respectable 
men in the United States — Colonel Wadsworth. He enjoys 
a considerable fortune, which he owes entirely to his OAvn 
labour and industry. Perfectly versed in commerce and ag- 
riculture ; universally known for the service he rendered 
the American and French armies during the war ; generally 
esteemed and beloved for his great virtues ; he crowns all 
his qualities, by an amiable and singular modesty. His 
address is frank, his countenance open, and his discourse 
simple. Thus you cannot fail to love him, as soon as you 
see him." ['') 

I will conclude this imperfect sketch, by adopting the 
general siunmary, which appeared in one of the public 
prints of this city,Q immediately after his decease : " In all 
the public and private relations of life, he was esteemed 
and respected. By his death, his family have lost a tender, 
affectionate and beloved relative ; the poor a kind and be- 
neficent father; the town its greatest benefactor ; and the 
country one of its firmest friends, and most able and faith- 
ful patriots." 

Daniel Wadsworth, after the decease of the survivor of 
his aunts, occupied the homestead of his ancestors, as well 
as the adjoining land on the East, until the spring of 1842, 

(a) Valedictory Discourse before the Connecticut Society of Cincinnati, 
July 4th, 1804,7)7). 11> 3S. 

(6) New Travels in the United States of America, performed in 17SS,hy 
J P. Brissot De Warville. Translated from the French. London, 1792. 

(c) The Connecticut Courant of JMay 2d, 1S04. 



WADS WORTH A T II E N -E U M. 31 

Of this gentleman, as he is living, my notice will be brief. 
His genealogy in the paternal line, has already been traced 
as far back as William Wadswortli ; (") and it might easily 
be carried farther back, by crossing the Atlantic. I now 
have occasion to advert more particularly to his ancestry, 
in the maternal line. At the close of my notice of Elder 
William Goodwin, I spoke of his blood as not yet extinct. 
Here it is pertinent to state the curious and interesting fact, 
that the last individual proprietor of the land in question, is 
a lineal descendant of the first proprietor in severalty ; and 
if that " godly man" is now in a situation to know what has 
become of that portion of earth, which, two hundred years 
ago, constituted the rear of his homestead, lying on the 
North side of the riveret in Hartford, he may well, at this 
hour, look down upon it, and upon his offspring of the sixth 
generation, with some degree of complacency. It has been 
stated, as you may recollect, that Elder Goodwin left a 
daughter, Elizabeth, an only child, who married John 
Crow.C") By him she had several children, and among 

(a) William Wadsworth, tlie younger brother of James, was born in Long- 
Buckby, Northamptonshire, England; removed thence to Braintree in Essex ; 
emigrated thence, with his family, to New-England, and was admitted a free- 
man of Massachusetts, simultaneously with William Goodwin and others, 
November fith, 16ry2. He came to Hartford, either in the Fall of 1635, or 
the Spring of 1G36. [I intended to insert here a complete list of the descend- 
ants of William Wadsworth, — at least those in the male line — and have taken 
some pains to collect the materials requisite for that purpose; but the collec- 
tion is still so incomplete, that I must defer the accomplishment of my design 
to a future occasion, or leave it wholly to some other hand.] 

(6) For the following account of the descendants of John Crow, the s^n- 
in-law of Elder William Goodwin, I am indebted to JVatJianiel Goodwin, Esq. 
of Hartford, one of our most accurate, as well as diligent, antiquarians. The 
facts and dates are mostly taken from public records, which he examined, 
and in part transcribed for my inspection. 

CHILDREN OF JOHN CROW. 

John, who was engaged in trade and lived at Fairfield. He perished atseaj 
in 1667, and left no family. 

Daniel, settled in East Hartford. 

JVathaniel, do. 

Samuel, lived and died at Hadley. 

Esther, married Giles Hamlin, of Middletown. 



32 WADSWORTH athen^uht, 

them a daughter, Esther, who married Giles Hamlin, a 
merchant of extensive business in Middletown. A daugh- 
ter of his married the Rev. Noadiah Russell of Middletown j 

Hannah, married Thomas Dickinson, of Hadley. 

Mehitabel, " Samuel Partridge, of Hadley and Hatfield. 

Elizabeth, " William Warren, of East-Hartford, — afterwards Phin. 
Wilson. 

Mary, " Noah Coleman, of Hadley. 

Sarah, " Daniel White, of Hatfield. 

Ruth, " William Gaylord, of Hadley. 

Elder Goodwin and his son-in-law, Mr. Crow, removed to Hadley, in 1659, 

At the commencement of the Indian wars, Elder Goodwin, being in ad- 
vanced life, returned to Connecticut, and located himself at Farmington, 
where he remained until his death, which occurred on the 11th of March, 
1673. His wife, whose name was Susannah, died there. May 17, 1076. 
John Crow and wife disposed of Elder Goodwin's house and lands in Hadley, 
after his decease. 

Giles Hamlin, of Middletown, was married to Esther Crow, daughter of 
John Crow, in the early part of the year 1655. They had children, as fol- 
lows, viz : 

Esther, born December 
John, " December 

Mary, " Februai-y 

Mehitabel, " November 
Giles, " August 

William, " February 

Giles Hamlin, died September 1, IGSft, aged 67. 
Esther Hamlin, relict of Giles Hamlin, died August 23, 1700. 

Giles Hamlin had a home-lotof five acres, in Middletown, lying next south 
of the ancient buiying-ground, bounded east by Connecticut River, west by 
highway, and south by his wife's grandfather. Elder William Goodwin. He 
was extensively engaged in foreign commerce, in which pursuit he seems 
to have amassed a large estate. He was also engaged in foreign trade, with 
John Crow, jun., his brother-in-law, who resided at Fairfield, and, as the 
records of the court of probate at Hartford show, settled an administration 
account on Mr. Crow's estate, at said court, on the 3d of March, 1687. Mr. 
John Crow, jun., as before mentioned, was lost at sea, in 1667. He was in 
large business, at the time of his decease ; and being so suddenly removed, 
it required a long time to bring his concerns to a close. After the settle- 
ment of his estate, there remained a balance for distribution, which was 
distributed among his brothers and sisters. 

The Rev. Noadiah Russell and Miss Mary Hamlin, daughter of Giles Ham- 
lin, were joined in marriage covenant, Feb. 20th, 1690. They had children 
born as follows, viz.: 

William, November 30, 1690. 

Noadiah, August 8, 1692. 



15, 


1655. 


14, 


1658. 


11, 


1662. 


17, 


1664. 


13, 


1606. 


3, 


1667. 



WADS WORTH ATIIEN^UM. 33 

and his son, the Rev. William Russell, who succeeded his 
father in the ministry, was the father of Mehitabel, who 
became the wife of Jeremiah, and the mother of Daniel, 
Wadsworth. The latter gentleman, the only son of his 
parents that survived infancy, was born at Middletown, 
August 8th, 1771. 

When he was between two and three years old, he re- 
moved, with his parents, to Hartford, where he has ever 
since resided. In 1783, he accompanied his father to 
France, England and Ireland, where he had favourable op- 
portunities of cultivating and refining his natural taste for 
the fine arts — especially architecture, drawing and paint- 
ing; and young as he then was, he was not too young to 
profit by his advantages. On the 26th of June, 1794, he 
was married to Miss Faith Trumbull, eldest daughter of 
Jonathan Trumbull, the second governor of that name. 
Uniformly and firmly declining office, (unless it were one 
of charity,) his life has been that of a piivate gentleman. 
How much he has done to adorn and illustrate such a life, 
may be more appropriately told, on a future occasion. Dis- 
tant be the day when that occasion shall arrive ! 

In the summer or autumn of 1841, Mr. Wadsworth oflfered 
to the citizens of Hartford, as much of his ancestral home- 
stead as would be requisite for a building for certain pur- 
poses which will soon be specified, provided they would 
raise, by subscription, the necessary means of erecting it. 
This offer was gladly embraced ; and somewhat over 20,000 

Giles, November S, 1G93. Died January 13, 1712. 

Mary, December 30, 1G94. Died February 27, 1723. 

John, July 0, 1(597. 

Esther, August 14, 1G99. Died, — (no date in the record.) 

Daniel, June 3, 1702. 

Mehitabel, May 27, 1704. 

Hannah, February 23, 1706. 

Rev. Noadiah Russell died December 3, 1713. 

Esther Hamlin, the daughter of Giles Hamlin, senior, was married to 
William Southmayd, in October, 1673. She died December 29, 16S2. 

Jolm Hamlin, the son of Giles Hamlin, senior, was married to Elizabeth 
Partridge, of Hatfield, at Hatfield, May 3, 1709. He died in the island of 
Antigua, on the 9th of August, 1709. 



34 



W A D S W O R T n A T H E N ^ U M . 



dollars was tlius raised ; Mr. Wadsworth himself making" 
the most liberal subscription. Considering the condition as 
sufficiently complied with, he, on the IStli of March, 1842, 
conveyed, Avith the usual covenants, to Thomas S. Williams 
and Alfred Smith, the land on Main-street lying between 
the alley on the North and the land of Cliarles Brainerd on 
the South, and extending Eastward about 172 feet to the 
Ec-st side of a gateway ; to be held by them in trust for a 
corporation to be created and organized, embracing, as 
members thereof, the subscribers for the fund intended for 
the erection of a building on the land so conveyed, in three 
principal divisions, separated from each other, by substan- 
tial partition walls, extending from the foundation to the 
roof, as a protection against fire : the central division to be 
appropriaied and used for a gallery of the fine arts ; the 
North wing or division for a library, reading-room and other 
accommodations of the Hartford Young Men's Institute ; 
and the South wing or division for the Connecticut Histor- 
ical Society, Avith authority to that society to allow or grant 
room or accommodations, in their division, for the use of 
the Natural History Society of Hartford, on such terms and 
to such extent, as the Historical Society should think 
proper. (") 

At the session of the General Assembly in May, 1842, 
the subscribers were created a corporation, by the name of 
Wadsworth Athen^um, with power to take from the 
trustees a conveyance of said land, with all the privileges 
and appurtenances thereto belonging, and to hold the same 
pursuant to the terms of said grant, and for the uses and 
purposes therein expressed and thereby intended. 

At a meeting of the subscribers, legally held, on the iSth 
of June, 1842, the charter of incorporation was accepted ; 
and the corporation was duly organized under it. At the 
same time, the following gentlemen, previously designated 
by the suliscribers, were appointed a committee to superin- 
tend the construction of the building, viz. Alfred Smith, 
David Watki/ison, James B. Hosyner, Gideon Welles, David 

(n) 01 Hart. Rec. Deeds, 210. 



W A D S W O R T H A T H E N .E U M . 35 

F. Robinson, Ernstus Smith and Calvin Day. Under their 
superintendence, the work, which liad already been com- 
menced, was carried on. 

By a deed of release, dated November 25th, 1842, Thomas 
S. Williams and Alfred Smith conveyed to the corporation 
of Wadsworth Athenaeum, and their successors, all such 
right and title as the grantors had in the premises, by virtue 
of the deed from Mr. Wadsworth to them. (") 

We have thus traced the title of the land we occupy, 
through all its changes, from the sachem of Sukiauge to the 
corporation of Wadsworth Athenanim, with some notice of 
those through whose hands it has passed. In every in- 
stance, the title appears on the record, and that title is a 
perfectly legal one ; so that if an exclusive and uninter- 
rupted possession of those under whom we claim, for more 
than two hundred years, were of no avail, we could still 
vindicate our right to the soil, by authentic nnmiments, 
ag-ainst -ill th^ v/orld Are we not d\en rightfully in pos- 
1 sion ] May not thies institution well say, Hcec mea sunt ? 
'u....nh unforeseen difficulties have retarded the comple- 
'lilding, it '«%iovv, though still in an unfinished 
... reception and partial accommodation. 
ji.. ui: architecture is castellated^ a modification of 
Iiic, which, in Europe, has been extensively useu in the 
> juslruciion of defensive, household and collegiate build- 
ings. The edifice is one hundred feet long, by seventy 
broad. Iv purs\iance of the requirements of the grant and 
of the charter, i\i\ interior is in three nearly equal divisions, 
which are separated from cellar to roof, by substantial walls 
of masonry. EacK of the three divisions is in two stories, 
besides the cellar o- basement. Tlie first story is about 
fourteen feet Idgh, anl divided into rooms, with stairways 
■ivid halls. The seconf story is al)out twenty-five feet high, 

th a single room in ea^.h division, arched, and lighted by 

ndows and sky-liglits. The several divisions are appro- 
Miated to, and are to be fitted for, the purposes specified in 
tie giant and charter. 

(a) Gl Hart. Rec. ^eeds, 242. 



/ 






36 



WADSWORTH ATHEN^UM. 



How interesting- are the historical associ9,tions which 
throng around that place ! How " beautiful for situation," 
too, is Wadsworth Atheneeum ! No other site could be se- 
lected, combining- so many and so great advantages. Its 
position is prominent, commanding. To the coming stran- 
ger and returning citizen, it presents its massive walls, its 
towers of strength and beauty, its mullioned windows and 
its wide-unfolding portals, welcoming their approach. It is 
central and easy of access, while it is sufficiently removec- 
from unsafe or inconvenient contiguity to other structures 
Its construction is admirably adapted to the purposes fo 
which it is designed. It will be permanent. 

History has inscribed on its tablet the name of JosepL 
Wadsworth, as a public benefactor, for preserving our colon} 
charter, when rapacious power demanded its surrender, by 
hiding it in a hollow tree. That charter constituted the 
frame-work of our government, for a century and a half. 
But it has now become a dead letter ; the tooth of time ha?^ 
knawed away its seal ; it exists only as an object of anti- 
quarian curiosity. The olierter-oak, after having flourish( a 
unknown ages with its compauio. s of the primitive ^^" 
has outlived them more than two cen^.-os,.. Tiiie v\ . 
man's axe has spared that tree. It has escaped the ravag... 
of fire ; and has withstood the assaults of hail, and snow, 
and vapour and stormy wind. Still Decay has Exercised 
dominion over even the charter-oak. Some of /ts boughs 
have withered ; some of its branches have .been koken o V; 
the heart of its trunk has mouldered into du^t ; and the 
remnant of that trunk has ceased to clironicle on its wood 
the years of its life. But when all its Izoughs ahall becon^o 
withered like those of the fig tree in ^le gospel ; when a^i 
its branches shall be scathed as if b/lightning; when ro: j 
tenness shall have eaten outward tj^iough the very rind ol 
its trunk ; and when the charter-o/lv, like the charter itselfj 
shall live only in history— those/valls, those towers, thos^ 
battlements, will endure, chang/ess as the perpetual hills'' 

uid when the achievement ofioseph Wadsworth shall li 
remembered no more, memoiTils of granite will coihmeri- 



orate the munificence of a distant relative, in a later age^ 






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